Importing Contacts into Klaviyo - SMB

If you are coming over to Klaviyo from another ESP, you’ll want to sync your existing contacts so you can start sending them targeted emails. Klaviyo has several pre-built integrations with other ESPs. If you see your previous ESP in the list below, go ahead and add this integration from the Integrations tab in your account. The docs below will outline the import steps specific to your integration:

This sync is important because the it will allow you to import not only email addresses, but also historical data, such as open and click data. This will allow you to build a segment of engaged subscribers. Sending to these subscribers is a crucial first step, as it helps you maintain good deliverability and strengthen your sender reputation.

Import Your Contacts as a CSV

If you aren’t able to sync contacts from one of the integrations listed above, you can manually import your contacts into Klaviyo as a CSV. Whenever uploading a list, please ensure that all the contacts on it have opted in to receive marketing emails.

First, you'll want to clean your contact list from your existing platform. This involves separating engaged and unengaged subscribers. We highly recommend that you import clean lists into Klaviyo and send to an engaged list for your first send -- if you intend to sync over existing email lists, or manually import existing lists into Klaviyo, your email deliverability may be at risk if you skip this step.

There are two ways that you can import your contacts into Klaviyo, depending on what information you are able to export from your existing provider:

Upload a master list with engagement criteria -- this works for those who can export date added, last opened, and last clicked timestamps from your previous ESP

Upload separate master, engaged, and inactive lists -- this works for those who can't export date added, last opened, and last clicked timestamps from your previous ESP

Upload an Engaged Master List

Export a list of all the active emails on your newsletter list with the following information:

Date added (when they first entered your account)

Last opened (when they last opened an email you sent)

Last clicked (when they last clicked a link in an email you sent)

Each ESP is different, so if you aren't sure how to export this information, we recommend contacting your service's support team.

Please note that contacts who are not on your newsletter list but have placed an order, abandoned a cart, etc. will be synced through your integration, not via list upload.

Format Your Data

Once you have this data in a CSV, you'll want to add these date/time values as custom properties. This will allow you to build segments in Klaviyo based on this information. In order to upload these contacts, you must have at the very least an "Email Address" column. You may also want to add "First Name" and "Last Name" columns, in addition to any other custom properties, like "Gender," that you'd like to upload at the same time.

It's important that you input the date added, last opened, and last clicked dates in one of the following formats:

YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS

MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS

MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM

MM/DD/YY HH:SS

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS

Unix

If you don't use one of these formats, Klaviyo will not recognize the value as a timestamp. If you're using Excel, you can remove autoformatting by changing the cell format to "Text." If there's no time of day associated with a date, you can set it to midnight by using the HH:MM:SS value 00:00:00.

When you're finished, the format of your CSV should look something like this:

Build an Engaged Segment in Klaviyo

Once you have your master list uploaded into Klaviyo, you're ready to build an engaged segment to start sending to. If you're a daily sender, you should send your first week's worth of campaigns to this segment. If you're a bi-weekly sender, you should send them your first 2-3 campaigns.Your engagement criteria should be:

Upload Separate Master, Engaged, and Inactive Lists

If you're unable to export date added, last open, and last click timestamps from your previous ESP or CRM, you can upload three separate lists based on engagement. In your previous platform, build segments based on the following criteria:

Master List - everyone on your newsletter list

Engaged List - everyone on your newsletter list who has opened or clicked an email at least once in the past 120 days, or was added to your newsletter list in the past 120 days

Inactive List - everyone who has been on a list for more than 120 days, or has not opened or clicked an email in the last 120 days

Export these lists as CSVs and upload them to Klaviyo. If you're a daily sender, send your first week's worth of campaigns to your Engaged List. If you're a bi-weekly sender, send your first 2-3 campaigns to this list.

Upload Suppressed Contacts to Your Suppression List

Once you've uploaded these lists, you'll want to upload any contact addresses that have unsubscribed, hard bounced, or marked your emails as spam to your account's suppression list. This will ensure that you don't accidentally email them and harm your deliverability.

If you are coming over to Klaviyo from another ESP, you’ll want to sync your existing contacts so you can start sending them targeted emails. Klaviyo has several pre-built integrations with other ESPs. If you see your previous ESP in the list below, go ahead and add this integration from the Integrations tab in your account. The docs below will outline the import steps specific to your integration:

This sync is important because the it will allow you to import not only email addresses, but also historical data, such as open and click data. This will allow you to build a segment of engaged subscribers. Sending to these subscribers is a crucial first step, as it helps you maintain good deliverability and strengthen your sender reputation.